03.03.2010 FERRARI INTRODUCE ENERGY-SAVING STOP & START DEVICE TO THE CALIFORNIA

SERGIO MARCHIONNE AND JOHN ELKANN INSPECT THE FERRARI CALIFORNIA FITTED WITH STOP&START AT THE 2010 GENEVA MOTOR SHOW

Sergio Marchionne and John Elkann, Fiat Group CEO and Vice Chairman respectively, inspect the California at the Ferrari stand at the Geneva Motor Show which is debuting fitted with Stop&Start.

While the lurid-green "Hy-Kers" prototype is grabbing all the headlines, Ferrari has a second initiative at the Geneva Motor Show which is again aimed at reducing emissions. From this month in fact the Stop & Start system will be available on the Ferrari California, reducing fuel consumption and CO2 emissions by 6 per cent in the ECE + EUDC combined cycle. This means a figure of 280 g/km, one of the most competitive of any high-performance cars. The Stop & Start cuts in virtually instantaneously - just 230 milliseconds, a time so fast that the driver barely notices the engine restarting.

This solution is a further step in Ferrari’s on-going strategy to reduce fuel consumption and emissions, even when increasing performance. One of the principal areas of research has been dedicated to reducing friction within the engine. The Ferrari California’s direct-injection V8, for example, has eliminated the ‘pumping’ losses created by the changes in pressure below the pistons. Inserting purge valves in the crankcase below the crank throws allows blow-by gas and oil compressed during the combustion phase to leave the crankcase without being drawn back in during the compression phase. This ensures a direct increase in engine efficiency. In addition DLC (Diamond Like Carbon) coatings on the valve followers and super-finishing of the cam lobes reduces friction in the valve train and contributes to the overall improvement in engine friction.

In keeping with Ferrari’s 360-degree approach to efficiency and its commitment to environmental sustainability, new technologies for its road cars, such as the Stop & Start system, are matched by the considerable investments already made to reduce the environmental impact of the company’s production activities in Maranello. After the inauguration of the photovoltaic installation on the roof of the Mechanical Machining facility in January 2009, which reduced the factory’s power requirements by over 210,000 kWh annually, 2009 also saw the opening of Italy’s biggest trigeneration plant (the simultaneous production of power, heat and cooling from a single source) – the first of its kind to be implemented by a sports car manufacturer. Combined, the two systems reduce CO2 emissions by 30,000 tons a year (40 per cent). Thanks to these ecological solutions, Ferrari is completely autonomous for its energy requirements. This reduction also means that Ferrari will meet the Kyoto protocol objectives a full 10 years ahead of schedule and with double the figure imposed on Europe. This represents another significant step forward in the ‘Formula Uomo’ strategy implemented by Ferrari’s Chairman, Luca di Montezemolo, at the end of the 1990s and which has transformed the Maranello production facility into one of the most advanced in the world. It has also helped create a unique working environment which, in addition to other initiatives for the well-being of employees, ensures that Ferrari has become a model, as demonstrated by the fact that the factory has, in the past, received the ‘Best Place to Work in Europe’ award.
 

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